🔗 Share this article Will the world's oldest president keep his position and woo a nation of young electorate? This world's most aged head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has assured Cameroon's electorate "better days are ahead" as he pursues his eighth consecutive presidential term on Sunday. The 92-year-old has already been in power for over four decades - an additional seven-year mandate could keep him in power for 50 years until he will be almost a century old. Campaign Issues He resisted broad demands to step down and drew backlash for attending just a single campaign event, using the majority of the campaign period on a 10-day unofficial journey to the European continent. A backlash over his reliance on an computer-generated election advertisement, as his opponents courted constituents on the ground, prompted his quick return to the northern region upon his arrival. Youth Population and Unemployment It means that for the great bulk of the people, Biya remains the sole leader they experienced - above sixty percent of the nation's thirty million inhabitants are under the age of 25. Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "new blood" as she thinks "prolonged leadership typically causes a type of inertia". "Following four decades, the citizens are weary," she declares. Young people's joblessness remains a particular issue of concern for the majority of the contenders participating in the political race. Nearly forty percent of youthful citizens between 15 to 35 years are without work, with twenty-three percent of recent graduates facing challenges in finding formal employment. Rival Candidates In addition to young people's job issues, the election system has created dispute, particularly regarding the removal of a political rival from the election contest. The removal, upheld by the Constitutional Council, was broadly condemned as a strategy to block any serious competition to the incumbent. A dozen contenders were authorized to vie for the leadership position, including Issa Tchiroma Bakary and a previous supporter - the two former Biya colleagues from the north of the country. Voting Difficulties Within the nation's Anglophone Northwest and South-West territories, where a long-running insurgency continues, an election boycott lockdown has been established, stopping business activities, movement and learning. Insurgents who have established it have promised to attack individuals who does vote. Beginning in 2017, those seeking to create a breakaway state have been fighting official military. The violence has so far caused the deaths of at minimum 6k individuals and forced almost five hundred thousand others from their residences. Election Results After Sunday's vote, the legal body has two weeks to announce the outcome. The security chief has earlier advised that no candidate is permitted to announce winning in advance. "Candidates who will seek to reveal findings of the presidential election or any unofficial win announcement contrary to the laws of the republic would have broken rules and must prepare to encounter penalties commensurate to their crime."